Built more than 2,000 years ago to supply Jerusalem with water, Solomon’s Pools have become the center of a modern political dispute, with officials from the nearby Israeli town of Efrat accusing the Palestinian Authority of allowing the historic site to deteriorate after it was placed under Ramallah’s jurisdiction following the 1993 Oslo Accords.

Most archaeologists date the construction of Solomon’s Pools, three ancient reservoirs located between Efrat and Bethlehem, south of Israel’s capital, to the Hasmonean period in the second century B.C. The reservoirs were built to supply water to Jerusalem during the Second Temple period. Herod the Great (37–4 B.C.) later expanded the system to provide water to his palace-fortress at Herodium.

«Solomon’s Pools are not only the history of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel and the source of Jerusalem’s living water, but also the future of Efrat in our ability to exercise our sovereignty, preserve Efrat’s development space and sustain tourism for all religions in the area between Jerusalem and Hebron,» Dovi Shefler, mayor of Efrat, told Fox News Digital.

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The three reservoirs collectively hold approximately 288,000 cubic meters of water, or more than 10 million cubic feet. They are fed by the Arrub and el-Biyar aqueducts, which, together with rainwater, historically supplied Jerusalem with water year-round. During the British Mandate, the pools underwent significant renovations and became known as «Jerusalem’s beach» until the Oslo Accords.

Under the agreements, the West Bank was divided into Areas A, B and C. Solomon’s Pools are located in Area A, which falls under Palestinian civil and security control.

Yonatan Marcus, chief of staff of the Efrat Municipality, told Fox News Digital that during the negotiations, then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin maintained that the pools would remain under Israeli control, alongside other archaeological sites of major Judeo-Christian significance such as Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem.

However, during the mapping process, he said, the words «Solomon’s Pools» remained within Area C on zoomed-out maps, while the reservoirs themselves ultimately mistakenly fell inside Area A.

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Marcus said under Palestinian Authority control, things changed for the worse. «When you visit today, you can see that the place is neglected. Much of it has been destroyed. There are signs everywhere in Arabic stating that swimming is not permitted because the pools are filled with sewage water,» he said.

He added that the sewage contamination was not natural, with wastewater deliberately diverted into the pools, replacing the fresh water that flowed there until the Oslo Accords. He said this occurred despite the PLO’s commitment under the agreement to protect historical sites in Area A.

«Our main goal is to protect these magnificent pools. It’s not just about Jewish history; it’s about Judeo-Christian history and whoever believes in the people of the Bible who walked here,» he said.

He described the reservoirs as the largest archaeological pools in Israel, saying they occupy a strategic location between the Western Wall and the Cave of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs along Route 60, known as the Biblical Highway.

Although the pools are located in Area A, Marcus said visits by Israelis take place only on coordinated tours secured by the IDF’s Judea and Samaria Division, as permitted under the Oslo Accords.

He noted that visits by Israeli officials, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have prompted improvements, saying the Palestinian Authority removed about 200 bags of garbage from the site following years of neglect.

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Panoramic view of the Old City of Jerusalem, Israel, viewed from Haas Avenue in late afternoon. (Planet One Images/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

«If the pressure of our coming here is going to make them take care of the site, then wonderful. In the end, our goal is for it to be preserved,» he said.

Ahmad Fattouh, a spokesman for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah faction, rejected the allegations.

«It’s absolutely audacious that the leadership of the colonial settlement of Efrat claims to be concerned about the condition of Burak Sulaymān’s pools when they are the very reason behind its declining water levels,» Fattouh told Fox News Digital. He said Israeli locals diverted the springs that feed the pools and argued that the Palestinian Authority has restored the site and developed it as a tourist destination.

Fattouh also accused Israeli officials of using the issue to justify taking control of the site, saying Smotrich’s visit showed that the pools were not completely dry, contrary to claims by Efrat officials.

Solomon’s Pools, a series of ancient reservoirs south of Jerusalem near Bethlehem, have supplied water to Jerusalem for centuries and are at the center of an ongoing dispute over heritage, sovereignty and preservation. (Yonatan Marcus/Efrat municipality )

Yishai Fleisher, international spokesman for Hebron, said the pools are akin to rediscovering a lost part of the Jewish Temple, as they supplied Jerusalem with water for some 2,000 years.

He said preserving the site begins with attracting visitors, producing educational videos, improving access along the new road from northern Efrat, hosting senior Israeli officials and establishing a permanent presence with cameras, patrols and farms.

«Since the story started breaking, the P.A. is trying to build a mosque there. The goal of the P.A. is to stop Israeli presence in Judea and Samaria and the Land of Israel. They are not about developing anything for its own sake,» Fleisher claimed to Fox News Digital.

Fleisher, who is an influential voice among the Israeli right, called for a radical change in policy. «What we really have to do is dismantle the P.A. and assert sovereignty over Judea and Samaria. In the meantime, the line should be redrawn so that Solomon’s Pools, which are essentially archaeological sites, are placed under Israeli control in Area C,» he said.

DETROIT, MI – The high-stakes fight between the left-wing and the center-left establishment for the future of the Democratic Party is front-and-center on Tuesday in Michigan’s primary.

Boosted by a string of victories this spring in mostly blue congressional districts across the country, the Democrats’ ideological war moves to the Great Lakes battleground state, where progressive victories could reshape the party and endanger must-hold seats in the midterm elections.

Also at stake as Michigan joins Kansas, Missouri, Virginia and Washington State in holding mid-summer primaries is President Donald Trump’s immense clout over the GOP and the power of his endorsements in Republican nominating contests.

But taking top billing is Michigan’s divisive and expensive Democratic Senate primary, which is seen as the biggest stage to date in the fierce fight for the future of the Democratic Party.

THE MIDTERM SENATE RACES THAT COULD FLIP THE BALANCE OF POWER IN CONGRESS

«This is ground zero in the battle for the future of the Democratic Party pitting status quo corporate Democrats against shake up the system economic fighters, and we’ll see who wins,» Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC), a leading group on the left, told Fox News Digital.

The primary face-off pits Abdul El-Sayed, a former Wayne County Health Department director, against Rep. Haley Stevens, a more moderate candidate backed by the establishment. The race to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, who is backing Stevens, is a must-hold for the Democrats and one of roughly a dozen Senate races from coast to coast that will determine if Republicans hold onto their slim Senate majority.

Matt Bennett, one of the leaders at the Third Way, a leading center-left Democratic organization, told Fox News Digital the Michigan showdown is «the first time the left is competing for a swing seat» and warned, «the significance is it could really put this seat in jeopardy.»

El-Sayed, who, if elected, would make history as the nation’s first Muslim senator, is an epidemiologist who unsuccessfully ran for governor as an insurgent candidate in 2018. He has made support for «Medicare-for-all» a major component of his campaign.

The far-left candidate has also called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and is a vocal critic of Israel amid its war with Hamas — even characterizing Israel’s actions in Gaza as «genocide» against Palestinians.

MIKE ROGERS ARGUES ABDUL EL-SAYED IS ‘A SPECIAL SAUCE OF CRAZY’

And El-Sayed, who is backed by top far-left leaders and teamed with progressive champions Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York on the Michigan campaign trail two weeks ago, and who served as a top surrogate on Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, has vowed not to accept PAC donations.

Stevens, who flipped a GOP-held district in her 2018 election to Congress, is backed by top national and Michigan Democrats, including Peters, term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and longtime Senate Democratic Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer.

Schumer and the party establishment view Stevens as more electable than El-Sayed, who has sparked controversy with his past comments.

«I am the best Democrat to go forward. I am the only person in this race who has won tough primaries multiple times. You know, running with the Michigan grit, resilience and determination,» Stevens told Fox News Digital on Sunday, as she teamed up with Peters on the campaign trail.

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Over $80 million has been spent on the primary showdown, making it the most expensive Democratic Senate nomination race in history. Much of the money has been shelled out by outside groups in support of Stevens and against El-Sayed. The biggest spending comes from United Democracy Project, a political action committee aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

El-Sayed, who has repeatedly attacked Stevens over the massive infusion of AIPAC-linked money, told reporters on Sunday, «If you need $70 million to come in here and help get you elected, then the question has to be, are you actually electable on your own terms.»

The winner will face off in the midterms against former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, who is on a glidepath to win the GOP Senate nomination.

The Trump-backed Rogers, who lost the 2024 Senate election in Michigan by a razor-thin margin, said in a Fox News Digital interview that he doesn’t care whom he faces-off with in November.

«It doesn’t matter to us. We’ve looked at both candidates. We feel confident we’re going to beat either one of those candidates that come out of that race,» Rogers highlighted.

And Rogers claimed, «They are very radical, and they are way too extreme for Michigan. I mean, Abdul, he has his own special sauce of crazy.»

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But Democrats are confident they can regroup after a combustible primary.

«Let’s make sure that anyone but Mike Rogers gets to the United States Senate,» Stevens told reporters on Sunday. «After the primary, you’re going to see a united Democratic Party. You are going to see us going full force, full fledged ahead.»

And El-Sayed told Fox News Digital, «I think we all understand the risk of Donald Trump. We all understand the risk of Mike Rogers.»

The left-wing versus establishment battle is also playing out in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, a key Republican-controlled swing seat race that’s among roughly two-dozen that will impact whether the GOP holds onto its fragile House majority.

William Lawrence, a co-founder of the Sunrise Movement, which advocates for political action to tackle climate change, is on the rise against two more moderate Democrats. Lawrence is backed by Sanders and El-Sayed, as well as some top progressive groups. The primary winner will face GOP Rep. Tom Barrett in the general election.

The party civil war is also on display in Michigan’s deep blue 13th Congressional District.

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Rep. Shri Thanedar, who is supported by top House Democratic leaders, is being challenged by state Rep. Donovan McKinney, who is backed by Sanders, El-Sayed, and Squad members Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, and Summer Lee of Pennsylvania.

And the ideological warfare is also front-and-center in Missouri, in the state’s St. Louis-based and heavily Democratic 1st Congressional District.

Rep. Wesley Bell is facing off in a rematch against former Rep. Cori Bush, a Squad member who Bell ousted in the 2024 primary.

TK (Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images)

Trump’s endorsements are getting tested in two statewide showdowns on Tuesday, in Michigan and Kansas.

The president is backing Rep. John James in Michigan’s GOP gubernatorial primary. James, a West Point graduate and one-time Republican rising star, is facing off against multi-millionaire businessman Perry Johnson, a former gubernatorial and presidential candidate.

The winner will take on likely Democratic nominee and current Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, in the race to succeed Whitmer.

In Kansas, Trump is supporting state Senate President Ty Masterson in a crowded field of Republican gubernatorial contenders.

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly is term-limited, which makes the race to succeed her a top flip opportunity for the GOP.

In Washington State, the marquee primary showdown is in the state’s 3rd Congressional District, where Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a former auto shop co-owner, is facing a crowded field of challengers from both parties.

Washington state has a top-two primary system in which all candidates, regardless of party, compete on the same ballot and the two highest vote-getters move on to the general election.

The race is another crucial House showdown that may decide the chamber’s majority.

In Virginia, voters head to the polls to cast ballots in Senate primaries and in a handful of House primaries in extremely competitive districts that may impact the balance of power on Capitol Hill.

El presidente de Bolivia, Rodrigo Paz, anunció el lunes la reducción de la estructura del Gobierno central, que pasó de catorce a doce ministerios, tras eliminar las carteras de Planificación del Desarrollo y de Turismo Sostenible, Cultura, Folclore y Gastronomía, una medida que, según sostuvo, busca construir un Estado “eficiente” y reducir la “burocracia”. El anuncio ocurrió durante el acto de juramento de los nuevos ministros de Relaciones Exteriores, Héctor Huanca, y de la Presidencia, Fernando Aramayo.

Durante la ceremonia, el mandatario también informó que el hasta ahora ministro de la Presidencia, José Lupo, fue propuesto como nuevo embajador de Bolivia ante la Organización de los Estados Americanos (OEA).

Paz defendió la decisión de reducir la cantidad de ministerios y afirmó que forma parte de un proceso de reorganización del aparato estatal. “Recibimos un Gobierno que venía con 21 ministerios (…) Nosotros generamos otra instancia de catorce ministerios y hoy día, reduciendo la burocracia estamos pasando a doce ministerios. O sea que el Gobierno central está dando señales claras de buscar un Estado no ausente, sino presente, eficiente”, expresó.

El mandatario explicó que parte de las funciones del Ministerio de Turismo Sostenible, Cultura, Folclore y Gastronomía permanecerán dentro del Poder Ejecutivo, mientras que otra parte quedará bajo la órbita de una nueva agencia nacional.

Según indicó, ese organismo permitirá “darle agilidad” al vínculo entre “lo público y privado” y entre “lo nacional e internacional”, con el objetivo de generar un mayor impacto económico a partir de las actividades vinculadas al turismo, la cultura, el folclore y la gastronomía.

Respecto al Ministerio de Planificación del Desarrollo, Paz confirmó su eliminación y precisó que las funciones que consideró necesarias pasarán a otras instituciones del Estado. Además, informó que el actual titular de esa cartera, José Fernando Romero, continuará dentro del Gobierno con nuevas responsabilidades.

El presidente destacó la labor del funcionario durante esta etapa de reorganización administrativa. “Tuvo una labor extraordinaria para ir generando menos burocracia y mayor eficiencia en la capacidad de atención de los ciudadanos”, afirmó al referirse a Romero.

Paz también sostuvo que la modificación de la estructura ministerial marca una nueva etapa para su administración, que el próximo 8 de agosto cumplirá nueve meses desde su inicio.

Según señaló, las decisiones anunciadas representan el cierre de un “tiempo de transición” y el comienzo de las “transformaciones profundas” que prometió durante la campaña electoral.

El mandatario recordó que uno de sus principales compromisos antes de asumir el cargo consistía en “ordenar la casa” antes de avanzar en una agenda de reformas con organismos internacionales y socios externos.

En ese sentido, ratificó que ese proceso de “ordenamiento” constituye ahora “un punto de partida de las transformaciones” que pretende impulsar su administración.

La reforma ministerial se conoció casi una semana después del anuncio del acuerdo alcanzado entre Bolivia y el Fondo Monetario Internacional (FMI) para un programa técnico por 1.900 millones de dólares, destinado a respaldar las reformas económicas impulsadas por el Gobierno con el objetivo de estabilizar una economía que atraviesa una crisis.

Entre los compromisos contemplados en ese entendimiento figuran la continuidad de la “racionalización” del gasto público, la reducción gradual del déficit fiscal, la preservación del “financiamiento monetario cero” del déficit y la promoción de reformas orientadas a mejorar el clima de negocios y favorecer el crecimiento económico con protección social, según informó el organismo internacional.

Los anuncios del Ejecutivo también llegaron un día después de que el empresario y excandidato presidencial Samuel Doria Medina comunicara el retiro de su respaldo político al Gobierno.

Doria Medina argumentó que le “preocupa la corrupción” y cuestionó la ausencia de un cambio “integral” en distintas áreas del Estado, según expresó al anunciar el fin de su apoyo a la administración de Rodrigo Paz.

La reducción del gabinete constituye una de las principales modificaciones institucionales impulsadas por el Gobierno boliviano desde el inicio de la gestión y se produce en un contexto marcado por el programa de reformas económicas acordado con el FMI y por movimientos dentro del escenario político nacional.

(Con información de EFE)